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TiVo's Latest Offering Detects and Skips Ads, Adds 4K Capability

Posted by timothy on from the fondly-remember dept.

As described by The Verge, the newest generation of TiVo is in some ways a step backward: it comes with fewer tuners than some earlier models, and less storage as well. However, two big features that distinguish the company's new Bolt DVR may entice users anyhow: it adds 4K recording, and (probably of use to more people, given the scarcity of 4K content, not to mention its file size) also can recognize and skip commercials, a feature that users have sorely missed as a mainstream feature in standalone DVRs for quite a while. (And it's possible that broadcasters will come up with a way to kill the commercial-skip function as they did with Dish's AutoHop.)

5 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Still have to pay RENT after you buy it by will_die · · Score: 3, Informative

    One year is $150 that $360 is probably for the lifetime. Also the bolt comes with 1 year included.

  2. Re:Still have to pay RENT after you buy it by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Informative

    One year is $150 that $360 is probably for the lifetime. Also the bolt comes with 1 year included.

    Correct on the yearly plan. However for the lifetime plan it's worse than that. The lifetime (All-In) plan is $600: https://support.tivo.com/articles/Essential_Summary/TiVo-Payment-Plans-and-Policies

    The Bolt unit itself is another $300, so the total pricetag for a lifetime TiVo setup comes to $900.

  3. Re:Still have to pay RENT after you buy it by ortholattice · · Score: 3, Informative

    Whose lifetime?

    Not sure what they're fine print says, but I still have an original Tivo series 2 from 2001 with a lifetime subscription, and they still honor it with schedule updates and occasional software updates even after I've moved several times.

    It's hooked to an old analog over-the-air TV with a digital TV converter, and the Tivo controls the converter just fine via its remote control sensor. It's impressive the number of channels available free with digital over-the-air, compared to the old analog, with hundreds of future program selections at any time. Obscure old sci-fi movies playing at 3am and so on that I'd never be aware of otherwise.

    Of course I have the commercial skip hack programmed in. Unlike the newer Tivos where the hack just fast-forwards for 30 seconds, the old Tivo instantly skips 30 seconds ahead, which I find much nicer.

  4. Re:Still have to pay RENT after you buy it by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Informative

    Whose lifetime?

    The lifetime of the DVR. So until it breaks outside of the warranty period or becomes outmoded.

    https://www.tivo.com/buytivo/popups/popup_servicePlans.html

    An All-In Plan (a) lasts for the lifetime of your TiVo device (not your lifetime), (b) is not transferrable to another TiVo device (except in certain warranty replacement/repair cases)

  5. Re:Welcome to 2004 TIVO! by ZESTA · · Score: 3, Informative

    MythTV has supported CableCARD and 4K for over a decade? Does it even support CableCARD tuners now?